By Denise Ortuno Neil
It’s not well known to most, but behind the scenes of the foster care system there are people at work insuring the rights of children who are sometimes left without a voice. They are the advocates at CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, and they are introducing new board members and a special fundraising event in January 2014.
The organization was started in 1976 by Superior Court Judge David Soukup, establishing the advocacy program that assists abused and neglected children to have a voice in court. CASA now has 900 programs across the United States and has helped over 288,000 children.
Deborah Sutton-Weiss, CEO of CASA of Riverside County, recently announced new board members to the organization which includes, Ralph Squaliance-PS Radio Station, Dr. Eric Davenport, Nosente Uhuti- Executive Director of Bent not Broken and Jack Emmerling, CASA Advocate Ret. Teacher. They join existing members, Board President -Gary Sheperd, Ret. Judge Sheldon and Reggie Cameron- PS pride coordinator.
CASA is proud to have the addition of their new board members and looks forward to spreading the word about their organization. Weiss is adamant that they are always in need of volunteers to become advocates to insure that foster care children don’t fall through the cracks of the court system. They have 300 advocates throughout Riverside County now, but need more. There are 4,000 children in foster care in the county, with 1,800 of them coming from the Coachella Valley.
The process is simple for those interested in working with these children who need a voice in court. It consists of passing a background check and 30 hours of training. It is a small price to pay for helping to change the life of a child. The volunteer work is perfect for retirees and college students who want to gain experience and understand the court system. Although the advocates are not paid, the work that they do is invaluable and extraordinarily rewarding. Weiss also wants to spread the word about CASA to local communities, for as much as they help foster children, they are not well known to the public, they are the secret weapon in foster care. “It is very important for the community to know who we are,” said Weiss.
To help bring CASA into the spotlight, there will be a fundraiser at Hamilton’s in La Quinta on Friday, January 17th 2014, with An Evening of Comedy with Justin Rivera from America’s Got Talent and Comedy Central. The show will also feature The Wood Doctor and Roscoe, the Emmy Award winning Carl and Buzz, comedy by Richard Weiss and special guest appearance by radio personality JJ Cioffi. Seating begins at 7:30 with the show starting at 8pm. Tickets are priced at $10 and can be purchased online or at the door. The organization is still looking for raffle prizes for the event to increase fundraising.
The rate of foster children is on the rise, and the need for more advocates goes along with the increasing numbers. But as the amount of expert advocates at CASA grows, the voices of children in need will only get louder.
To purchase tickets and to find out more on how to volunteer and donate visit www.casariversidecounty.org .
